Chapter 2
The Protagonist’s Younger Sibling is Reborn as a Constellation
“Ahk!”
The monster fell somewhere, releasing its arm that had wrapped around my ankle.
The recoil threw me hard onto the ground, landing on my rear.
I thought it was fortunate that my body, not my head, hit first.
Looking around, I saw dozens of others who had been captured like me. Each clung tightly to their family members’ hands, trying to find corners to avoid the monsters.
Only the young boy and I were alone.
Drdruk, dduk, zzahk.
Sounds of bones breaking, snapping, and flesh tearing rang out one after another. My whole body went cold, and shivers ran down my spine.
Turning toward the source, I saw the monster that had grabbed me.
Soon, sharp arms burst from the monster’s stomach, starting to harm people one by one.
“Ahhh!”
“Help me!”
I squeezed my eyes shut at the gruesome sight. I covered my ears, but my hands were powerless against the screams.
The monster ignored me and the boy and attacked those who had fled to the corners. Since we hadn’t moved, it probably judged we wouldn’t run.
I felt a tug on my clothes from behind. Turning, I saw the young boy who had been standing still earlier.
Bending to hold his hand, I felt something cold at the nape of my neck.
‘Ah, the necklace.’
Feeling the chain under my shirt, I recalled the original story.
That necklace wasn’t meant for me—it should have been Jin Sehyuk’s.
“Hey, you know…”
“……Huh?”
The novel didn’t say how it ended up in Jin Sehyuk’s hands. Passing it along here should be fine.
It’s only proper to leave a farewell for an older brother I suddenly got separated from, right?
“If you survive and make it to the safe zone…”
Somehow, I had a feeling this kid would survive.
“Can you give this to our oppa?”
What did Jin Sehyuk wear again? Oh.
“The one with short black hair wearing a black leather jacket. Give it to him.”
I took off the necklace from my neck and handed it to the child.
A silver chain with a star-shaped pendant.
It may seem like nothing, but in Melkkeut, this necklace was a keepsake the protagonist Jin Sehyuk always carried of his sibling. Now it would become mine.
As I handed it over, I noticed a star pendant bracelet dangling on the child’s wrist.
I considered giving it too, since he would likely die soon, but in the original story, only the necklace appeared—so I passed only that.
The child accepted it with his free hand, gripping the necklace tightly.
I smiled softly at the sight. His solemn expression looked unexpectedly cute, given the situation.
At that moment, the arm that had been slaughtering people lunged rapidly toward us.
I pushed the child away forcefully.
“Kuhh!”
“……Nuna!”
Thankfully, the boy who had fallen to the ground earlier probably wasn’t seen. The monster attacked only me before turning its attention to other survivors.
Reflexively, I curled up, clutching my stomach.
Ah, the kid I pushed was probably nearby too.
I wasn’t trying to play the hero. In the dream, my story would end anyway, but this kid’s life was all that mattered.
Blood flowed endlessly from the monster’s torn abdomen. Just blood… right?
My vision blurred.
So this is how I die. Feeling pain in a dream—what a strange dream. Soon, I’d wake up in my familiar room.
Then everything went dark.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
The sound of water droplets. Damp, musty air filled with the scent of rot.
I had recently bought a soap-scented diffuser, so the foul smell was odd.
Frowning, I opened my eyes.
The first thing I saw was an unfamiliar space filled with icicle-like stalactites.
I blinked dumbly. Someone spoke to me.
“I thought you were dead, but you’re alive.”
The unfamiliar voice added that it had assumed I was dead since I hadn’t gotten up despite shaking.
“Now that you’re awake, sit up straight, will you?”
Feeling a chill from the man’s voice, I lifted my head.
I must have fallen asleep leaning on a stranger’s shoulder.
The man rotating the shoulder he lent me was someone I had never seen before.
‘Am I dreaming another dream?’
This dream didn’t continue the one with Jin Sehyuk. I looked different from when I was with him.
My hair fell to my chest in blonde waves, and I wore casual training clothes, not a school uniform.
Blonde hair… am I realizing my bucket list in a dream?
The man examined my dazed state and let out a short sigh.
“Coming in here and sleeping peacefully, are you out of your mind?”
“Huh?”
“You don’t want to die, right?”
He looked at me as if he couldn’t understand.
Before I could react to his sudden informal tone, he asked the next question, speaking gently after taking a breath.
“Don’t you know what’s going on?”
“I woke up here, so…”
I responded casually, though I didn’t understand the situation.
“This is a guerrilla dungeon—it appeared outdoors.”
Frowning at my waking-up excuse, he looked at me strangely and muttered something.
I just laughed.
A guerrilla dungeon? What kind of fantasy dream is this?
Reading my thoughts, he furrowed his brows further and spoke.
“Fine, let’s say that’s true. This is a dungeon. Since we didn’t see anyone else, it seems only the two of us entered.”
Just as he was about to ask something, a flapping sound came from somewhere.
“Let’s find a safe place first.”
Startled, I looked around. He paused briefly and spoke again. I nodded.
He pointed in the opposite direction from the sound, gesturing for me to follow.
“Stick together. Two are better than one if you want to survive.”
The man had calmed down and suggested accompanying me.
In reality, I’d be wary of a stranger, but in a dream, it seemed safe enough to follow.
More importantly, I needed to understand the situation first.
Following him, I looked for a place to hide. The dungeon, taking the form of a cave, was fairly large.
After wandering for a while, we hid behind some rocks. I sat down and asked him.
“So if it’s a dungeon, what makes it a guerrilla dungeon?”
“A sudden dungeon. It appears without warning.”
His gaze suggested surprise I didn’t know. Is this world like Melkkeut, with hunters?
“A hunter?”
“No. You?”
“I don’t think so.”
How could I know if I’m a hunter in this unknown situation?
The man gave me a peculiar look. I shamelessly avoided his gaze.
“You really got dragged here while sleeping at home?”
“Probably?”
“Where’s home?”
I hesitated. The real address might not exist in this world. I stammered, using a random apartment name.
“Hyun, Hyunjo Apartment?”
“……Hyunjo Apartment? You came from that far to enter a guerrilla dungeon? Sleepwalking?”
Lucky for me, that apartment name existed here too. But he still eyed me with suspicion.
I shook my head. His expression twisted strangely, as if he still couldn’t understand.
“But how are you here?”
Am I the one who should be most curious about that? Ah, when will this dream end?
I had no answer, so I smiled awkwardly. He interpreted the smile and leaned back.
“Fine. It’s hard to understand anomalies anyway. And speak casually.”
“Uh, okay. How old are you?”
He seemed my age, but I wasn’t sure. I added a tiny ‘yo’ at the end just in case.
“Nineteen.”
“I’m seventeen…”
“It’s okay. Doesn’t matter.”
I confirmed again with the expressionless boy.
“…It’s fine to speak casually, right?”
“Yeah, even if I say it’s okay.”
He made it clear I could even call his name freely.
“Oh, my name’s Kim Igyul.”
“Mm, I’m Jin Serin.”
Having exchanged names, there was nothing left to say.
We listened intently in the silence, wary of when a monster might appear.
The flapping sound I had heard earlier came again—this time closer.
